A brief summary of the main headlines and highlights for this week are shown below. Any tools, templates or documents needed for the actions required are provided here also. If you would like to know more about these workstreams or the others in the Programme, click on the main section icons shown above. At SESLIP we are always on the look-out for good ideas that might be better implemented regionally rather than locally. If you have any suggestions, please contact Richard Tyndall, SESLI Programme Manager.

Previous Updates

Programme

Regional Improvement Planning for 2019-20

Update

Following on from the successful training day at the end of November (and the catch-up webinars for those who were unavailable) we are now fully engaged with reviewing self-assessments ahead of the Triad Peer Challenge days (and Ofsted annual conversation visits for some colleagues).

We are making arrangements for the Regional Improvement Summit on Friday 22 March. This will be a short (30-minute) formal launch of the Regional Improvement Plan with DCSs and Lead Members and invited guests from DfE, Ofsted, LGA, ADCS. It will be scheduled for the slot before lunch, and our guests will be invited to stay for the buffet lunch.

22 March - Regional Improvement Summit with DCSs and Lead Members

For all enquiries about the Regioanl Planning process, and for any comments and feedback, please contact isabelle Gregory (details below).

Action Required

Triad 1 - East Sussex, Surrey and Wokingham on Thursday 28 February 2019

Programme

Reducing Parental Conflict Challenge Fund

Update

As part of the Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) Programme, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is launching a £2.7 million Challenge Fund that will provide grant funding to innovative projects, to gather learning on what works to reduce parental conflict.

Full details can be found here. Bids are required by mid February 2019

Action Required

The RPC Challenge Fund will allocate grants through two strands:

A Digital Support for Families strand: £1.6 million is available to provide grant funding to innovative projects that will test what works digitally to support and maintain engagement with disadvantaged families to reduce parental conflict.

A Support for Disadvantaged Families strand: A further £1.1 million is available to test what works to support disadvantaged families that are at greater risk of parental conflict, where there is limited existing evidence.

Programme

Task and finish group - Attendance and children missing education

Update

Mike Stoneman from Portsmouth is convening a task and finish group of colleagues to consider issues around attendance and children missing education. The purpose of the group is to look at best practice across the South East and potential solutions in terms of the work local authorities are doing to address the following key issues identified by the SESLIP AD Education Network:

Persistent school absence

Fixed term and permanent exclusions

Reduced timetables that go beyond 6 weeks

Elective home education

Inappropriate alternative provision or exclusion by another name

Action Required

The aim is to hold at least two meetings this term (spring 2019) before going back to the AD Network later in the year with a report detailing some best practice and recommendations.

Key dates

Workstream

Severe funding shortages for social services that protect vulnerable children have pushed nearly nine in 10 councils into the red, new analysis published by the LGA reveals, prompting warnings that funding for children’s care is now in a country-wide crisis.

New figures show that a total of 133 out of 152 councils (88 per cent) were forced to spend more money than they had planned to on children’s social care in the last year (2017/18). This amounted to an overspend of £806 million. The LGA report says the number of councils spending more than they budgeted for indicates the immense pressure they are under to support vulnerable children and young people, and emphasises that this is now an issue affecting all areas of the country.

Activity

The LGA report says the number of councils spending more than they budgeted for indicates the immense pressure they are under to support vulnerable children and young people, and emphasises that this is now an issue affecting all areas of the country.

It estimates that children’s services already face a £3.1 billion funding gap by 2025 just to maintain the current levels of service, and is calling on the Government to announce desperately needed new money into the system.

Key dates

Public Law Outline Seminar 11 February 2018

Workstream

Kent County Council have set up a seminar to explore research in relation to the use of the PLO. The event will include contributions by leading academics Professor Judith Masson University of Bristol and Professor Jonathan Dickens (UEA). The brief for the research can be found here.

Tools & Templates

National Implementation Adviser for Care Leavers’ First Year Report – This was published in the Autumn and sets the findings of the National Adviser for Care Leavers following his first year in role. The report is structured around the 5 identified priorities for care leavers and goes on to provide examples of good practice from local authorities that he has visited. It also sets out aspirations for 2019-2020. The full report can be found here